This essay discusses the determinants of health in New Zealand with a focus on maternity care in rural areas. The main determinants of health in New Zealand are social, cultural and economic factors such as genetics, income, education, poverty, culture, occupation and housing. The second part of this essay then describes how the objectives of the New Zealand Health Strategy (NZHS) can have a positive impact on health care in New Zealand. Dew and Matheson (2008) argue that the disciplines of epidemiology and social epidemiology have gradually evolved. provided more descriptions of health inequalities. They also assert that epidemiology primarily focuses on how and where infectious diseases spread, while social epidemiology examines the pattern of health outcomes related to social characteristics such as gender, ethnicity, and income in order to find the causes of the differences between these groups. The main determinants of maternity care in rural areas are education, income, sense of control over life circumstances and access to health services (Ministry of Health [MoH], 2000). Comprehensive maternity care includes antenatal care, early pregnancy care, antenatal care. care, postnatal care and also comprehensive obstetric care (Preston and Miller, 2012). Midwives are the main providers of maternity services in rural areas. They either work as primary maternity caregivers (LMC), providing maternity care to women from the start of pregnancy until six weeks after delivery, or are employed by rural maternity hospitals, providing maternity care when women are in the hospital (Kyle and Aileone, 2013). There are an increasing number of pregnant women who are experiencing difficulty finding a suitable LMC, particularly in rural areas, as there is a shortage of both midwives and paper......). Mapping the rural midwifery workforce in New Zealand. Retrieved from http://www.mmpo.org.nzMinistry of Health. (2000). The New Zealand Health Strategy. Wellington, New Zealand: author. Ministry of Health. (2009). National Travel Assistance (NTA) Policy Guide 2005. Retrieved from http://www.health.govt.nzMinistry of Health. (2014). Pregnancy services. Retrieved from http://www.health.govt.nzNational Health Committee. (2010). Rural health: the challenges of distance; innovation opportunities. Wellington, New Zealand: Author.Power, S. (June 15, 2009). Maternity services are a top priority. Manawatu Standard. Retrieved from http://www.stuff.co.nzPreston, H. and Miller, D. (2012). Final year medical students' perceptions of maternity care in general practice. New Zealand Medical Journal, 125 (1352). Retrieved from http://journal.nzma.org.nz/journal/